New Jersey lawmakers are retreating from a bill that would weaken the power of the state comptroller’s office following widespread condemnation.
Spokespeople for state Senate President Nicholas Scutari said he would not pursue the legislation he once championed, which would have weakened the comptroller’s ability to investigate corruption and waste. Scutari had no comment Wednesday.
The retreat follows Scutari’s push to squeeze the legislation through a lame-duck session, and follows a pattern of New Jersey's Democratic leaders loosening campaign finance restrictions and limiting transparency in a state notorious for graft and corruption.
The move backfired after U.S. Sen. Andy Kim and state Attorney General Matthew Platkin, both Democrats, led vocal opposition to the bill.
Kim, Platkin and state Comptroller Kevin Walsh tussled last week with state Sen. James Beach, chair of the Senate's committee on state government, wagering, tourism and historic preservation, during a hearing on the bill in Trenton.
Those opposed to the bill were made to wait more than four hours to speak and were held to strict three-minute time limits before their mics were cut — including Kim.
Those speaking in favor of the legislation at Beach’s invitation were given up to 40 minutes to testify. When Kim complained about the long wait, Beach told him he was not “special.”
During his brief testimony, Platkin questioned whether the bill violated the state Constitution’s separation of powers. If enacted, it would have transferred some of the comptroller’s investigative powers to the state Commission of Investigation, which in part reports to the Legislature rather than directly to the governor. The comptroller reports directly to the governor.
Despite those protests, the committee moved the bill forward with a 5-0 vote.
In a letter to Beach on Tuesday, Platkin excoriated the state senator for his behavior at the hearing. The attorney general noted he reserved the right to investigate Beach and the committee further.
Beach’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the letter and Scutari's subsequent decision to pull the bill.
In a tweet, Kim called the bill’s death a victory.
"This is a win for the people of New Jersey and a signal of the power of a growing anticorruption movement throughout our state and this country,” he wrote.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy did not publicly stake out a position on the bill, but he’s supported Scutari’s efforts to weaken transparency checks in the past. Scutari and Democrats succeeded in hobbling the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, which puts checks on campaign spending, in 2023. The following year, Murphy backed Scutari’s effort to place new limits on the public’s access to government records.
Murphy's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, who is also a Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday night she would not support the bill moving forward.
“I ran on accountability and transparency and was clear that I would not support any effort to weaken oversight. I look forward to working with the Legislature to deliver effective, accountable government for the people of New Jersey on the mandate they gave us,” she said.
